2019 The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends: The Complete Series. 5 seasons, 163 episodes, 18 discs, approximately 59 hours. Includes, in their place in each production, all 50 episodes of "Aesop and Son." Ward Productions. Licensed by Bullwinkle Studios. Universal City, CA.
This is a mammoth production! I selected one episode of "Aesop and Son" from each of the five years of the series. "The Mice in Council" features Murphy Mouse, who gets saddled with carrying out his suggestion. After various ploys, he actually gets the cat to put on the bell as a gift from an unknown admirer, but the ice cream vendor's bell confuses Murphy and leads to an attack by the cat. In "The Hares and the Frog," the frog becomes an advisor to the frightened hare: every "top critter" needs a gimmick. The hare's gimmick is wiggling his ears. He overpowers everyone with this gimmick, until he experiences the skunk's "gimmick." Further episodes were "The Jackrabbit and the Coyote"; "The Country Frog and the City Frog"; and "The Jackrabbits and the Mule." Always fun!
2005 Thank-you Rubber Stamp “No act of kindness however small is ever wasted.” Aesop. 2.2" x 2.6". Berkeley, CA: Penny Black, Inc. Source unknown.
I remember seeing this in a Bay Area book and card store. This quotation is used frequently. I suspect it comes from either AD or LM, but I do not know in whose translation. There are, in Lloyd Daly’s literal translation of Perry, two similar references, both (296 and 395) dealing with the same story of a farmer who frees an eagle from a snake and is repaid with kindness. 296 has “That those who have a good service at the hands of another should repay the kindness, for the good that you do will be repaid you.” 395 has more simply “Kindness awaits the benefactor.” “The Hen and the Swallow” (192) seems to say the opposite: “So wickedness is not to be overcome no matter how much it is met with kindness.” See also the MM stamp under “Toys and Games.”
2007 TH: Walt Disney Award Winning Performances. 3 of 12. Limited edition of 3000. Made in China. Unknown source.
Here is a rather strange conglomeration of elements in another Disney sales campaign. The traditional figures of Toby and Max are as we have come to know them in Disney productions. Here they stand in front of a photo of Walt and have a title suspended beneath them. Mickey stands in front of the title standing on a platform marked "1935." Trees flank and surround the multi-layered composite. Celebrate self-congratulation with a special sale!
2020? TH wooden two-piece puzzle. C Westcott. 3.75" tall, 3.5" wide. Unknown source
The two figures fit each other well. I am unsure of how the carrot plays in this configuration, when they are either together or separate. Is the hare lying on the tortoise's back and leading him on, as one would a mule with a carrot? I have not been able to identify the "Westcott" artist.
1960? TH Sipping Cup with Lid. Plastic. 3.75" high. 3.25" diameter. Unknown source.
Now here is a way to introduce children to a fable from the earliest days! I am unsure what is between the two characters under the hare's super-long ears. Plants perhaps?
1980? TH silk scarf. "Echo." 31" square. Where and when?
This large scarf presents a challenge not only to its photographer but to any other viewer, since its three quarters of its lines appear upside-down and 90 degrees from horizontal. I suppose that makes little difference, when a scarf adorns one's neck and is tied in various ways. Click on either image to see more detail.
1990? TH silk scarf. Made in Italy. 11½" x 56". Where and when?
The tortoise and hare can be very hard to make out. I offer an enlarged detail below. Is a scarf this long and narrow usual?
1980? TH silk scarf. "Echo." 31" square. Where and when?
This large scarf presents a challenge not only to its photographer but to any other viewer, since its three quarters of its lines appear upside-down and 90 degrees from horizontal. I suppose that makes little difference, when a scarf adorns one's neck and is tied in various ways. Click on either image to see more detail.
1960? TH scarf. 21" square. Unknown date and source.
This lively scarf asks to be viewed from several different angles, from the race's start to its finish. The hare runs with a stopwatch in his hand. He also stops at a hot dog stand. A grandstand full of tortoises and hares watches the tortoise cross the line as winner. Browns, yellows, and pinks.
2000? TH Salt and Pepper Shakers with Airplanes. About 3.5” x 3.5”. FIGI. Made in China. Unknown source.
Seeing is believing! I would not have believed that there are TH S & P shakers modelling an air race! But here they are! Surprise!d
2001 TH Onesie for Infants. Gymboree. 0-3 months. 100% cotton. Made in Thailand. Unknown source.
This cute garment features a lovely stiched representation near the neckline and repeated named rabbits and turtles in a pattern throughout.
1975? TH Necktie. 100% silk. Made in Italy. George Kent by Mismiya (Hishiya?). Unknown source.
Wow! Both the tortoise and the hare are big and bold! Am I a victim of today's fashion if I ask "Did anyone honestly ever wear this tie seriously?" George Kent seems to be a serious name in the clothing world.
1970? TH Necktie. 75? Polyester, 25% silk. Rivetz of Boston. Sports and Specialties Shop, Inc. Unknown source.
Tortoise and hare alternate in diagonal lines, with just a touch of white to offset the light blue in each animal. Rivetz seems still to be creating neckties. The web knows nothing of the "Sports and Specialties Shop, Inc.," named on a label sewn onto the necktie.
2000? TH Mola from Panama. 17" x 14.7". Unknown source.
My what a lively, colorful piece of work! At first, I thought that this duo was musical, but on further inspection the hare is eating a carrot. And is the tortoise carrying a basket? In any case, they do not seem to be racing!
I take it that the inner bowl would be filled with hot water in order to keep a child’s porridge or oatmeal hot in the bowl. The illustration is identical with that on a Keller and Guerin bowl, and it is a mirror opposite of that on a Keller and Guerin plate. Why would this bowl not have been identified by Keller and Guerin as their product?
The sweating tortoise in TH rides a bicycle and wears a rider's cap and sneakers. The hare also rides a bicycle and has goggles above the brim of his cap.
The sweating tortoise in TH rides a bicycle and wears a rider's cap and sneakers. The hare also rides a bicycle and has goggles above the brim of his cap.
1920? Hidden Picture card of TH without artist or publisher. $5 from an unknown source, April, '22.
Even the verso gives no help here. The card quotes the first two lines of La Fontaine's TH in French and then asks where the hare is.
1910? Complete five-card set of "Le Lievre et la Tortue." Paris: Croissant 3096. Ch. Fontane, Editeur-Imp. $60 from Bertrand Cocq, Callone Ricouart, France, Sept., '18.
This set of five photographic postcards, like some – but not all -- others in the "Croissant" family, has some unusual features. One is the inserted painted portion of each card giving a phase of the La Fontaine fable. Another is that the first of these gives an explicit title and identifies it as a fable of La Fontaine. The coloring is very well done! The female actress here has a gift for gesture! The key in this telling of the story is Card III. At first it seems that this young man fell from his bike. But perhaps we are meant to see him resting. Card IV telescopes a good deal of action into one scene. The coloration of these photographs is, I believe, particularly good.
2000? TH Clay Charms. 1.5". Unknown source.
Beautifully formed charms. The tortoise is particularly intricate with a springtime basket. While the hare has holes at his mouth and tail, the tortoise has holes in his shoulders.
1927 Children present La Fontaine's moral from TH: "Running is not the issue. You need to start on time." $5 from an unknown source, Feb., '22.
The verso seems to me more engaging than the illustration in this card whose message is dated in October, 1927. First, the young "Votre petite Lili" did not add an address to her card. Secondly, the card itself warns that not all countries accept the "correspondence au recto." I wonder what that means…. I tried my own translation against several of the traditional ones. Maybe best is Spector: "Rushing is useless; one has to leave on time. Moore has " If you don't start on time, you might as well not try." Wright: "To win a race, the swiftness of a dart Availeth not without a timely start."
